This very special presentation, on the anniversary of the actual March 25th event, will begin with a walk down Fifth Avenue to the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire for a brief talk before returning for the 7:30PM lecture. Now part of New York University's campus just east of Washington Square Park, this building was the locale for one of the most significant tragedies in American history pre-9-11. This event has influenced many aspects of our lives today - in the garment industry, immigration and life in NYC, labor laws and unions, elevator and fire safety and more. There were over 500 employees at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory - most were young women, most were recent immigrants. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the 8th floor. Workers ran to the fire escape. It collapsed, dropping them to their deaths. People on the street watched as the workers began to jump out the windows. Fire trucks arrived but their ladders only reached the 6th floor. The elevators ran as long as they could as workers pressed into the cars; some tumbled down the elevator shaft. In the end 146 people died. As a family descendant of one of the victims, 18 year old Annie Nicholas, Debbie Wells lectures about the factory and the fire, as well as her journey to uncover her personal family connection through speaking to historians at Cornell University, New York Times and HBO, and especially the Remember the Triangle Coalition whose latest project is to create a Triangle Fire Memorial. The memorial was designed by an award-winning architect and plans are in the works to erect it on the building site as a meaningful tribute.
New York City, NY; NYC